Hadassah doctors to return to work, ending strike
Jerusalem District Court orders stay of proceedings for medical staff, tells management to pay for professional insurance
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Doctors at Jerusalem’s Hadassah hospitals were set to go back to work after two weeks on strike Thursday, bringing the Jerusalem medical centers back to normal operations.
Doctors had initially refused to return to work out of fear that they would personally be exposed to lawsuits by patients suing for damages, after the hospital received a court-ordered stay of proceedings that protected it from having to pay out for lawsuits.
District Court Judge David Mintz ruled Wednesday evening that the stay in proceedings applies to the medical staff, and allowed the hospital to pay for the doctors’ professional insurance.
The hospital management and employees signed a deal early Wednesday morning to break the stalemate over unpaid January salaries and get doctors and nurses back to work after two weeks.
Most hospital workers and nurses went back to work Wednesday morning, although doctors were still working a reduced weekend schedule.
The two sides agreed that employees who earn less than NIS 15,000 per month won’t receive pay cuts and will receive the remainder of their unpaid salaries. Also, summonses issued to more than 300 employees for a hearing before termination were frozen.
Hadassah chairman Avigdor Kaplan said after the deal was inked with the administrative employees and nurses that the task that remained was “to convince the doctors to join as well.”
The Times of Israel Community.